This is what we read along the roadside...it tells of each space and what happened on it!

Not all plaques from the confederate side gave specifics...some did, most don't...but I love that they included the loss or wounds of the horses as well. All in all...an excellent toll and recap of exactly what happened at each and every spot along the routes!

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one of the many plaques explaining what happened at gettysburg.jpg (47.6 KB, 210 views)

__________________
Minds are like parachutes. They only work when they are open.

~Thomas Dewar~

TY TinTennessee! YSVW! So glad to share and that you are enjoying them hun!

__________________
Minds are like parachutes. They only work when they are open.

~Thomas Dewar~

Self explainitory...and getting repetitive, I assume...so I'll end Gettysburg here! Just a note though...I ran out of camera room for the last, and most impressive, monuments of all...the Pennsylvania monument (because the battle was in Pa.) as you leave the park. Grumble (hopefully) has a pic of it...so we'll wait for that one! It was tremendous!

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one of many pa. battalion monuments on auto tour.jpg (46.0 KB, 197 views)

__________________
Minds are like parachutes. They only work when they are open.

~Thomas Dewar~

We didn't get home from Gettysburg (about a 2 1/2 mile drive) till 11ish that evening...so on day 3 we relaxed and hung out (not bloody literally again, Ian...Geezzzz!)...lol!. Ian will be renting a car on his journey, and I promised to teach him to drive on the right side of the road (as opposed to the "correct side of the road"...roflmfao!). Here he is...scaring Mr. Lixy within an inch of his life...(JK..JK...Mr. Lixy wasn't all that scared!)...

In all seriousness...he did pretty good for an Aussie! <--*ducks*

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ian on wrong side.jpg (14.5 KB, 228 views)

__________________
Minds are like parachutes. They only work when they are open.

~Thomas Dewar~

We partied around the picnic table that night and I took some pics...but, I better not post how drunk Mr. Lixy was (or me, for that matter!!). SUPERPIPE came over for a visit...as well as our neighbor, Mike. Yada, yada, yada...

On to the next day!

__________________
Minds are like parachutes. They only work when they are open.

~Thomas Dewar~

So...we wanted to show Ian the heart of liberty! The place where it all started! But nothing is free (anymore), and when we got to Philadelphia, we found that the tour for Independence Hall (where The Declaration of Independence is displayed) was booked.

Until just recently, till terrorists took our freedom away, this hall was open to perpetual visitors! I have to admit, it was kind of embarrassing how the guards treated us and our friend/visitor from the other side of the world! Only one guard was helpful, and all others treated us if as we should already know how to travel the streets to get to the buildings that hold our symbols of freedom. I realize that security is on yellow alert...but I must once again appologize to Ian for the discourtesy afforded him from the uptight/ignorant guards of our nations most precious records of history!

A sidenote: I am writing to someone in authority[ies] (Governor of Pa.) to let them/him know that, as we do understand that national security is at a high and we must do everything to keep our country and it's symbols safe, they might want to include a bit of "bedside manner" to those protecting said sites!!!!! These people didn't even ask us who we were or where we were from...(and don't think I don't understand that they are so very busy every single day), but stopped us as if we were a threat and sent us away without explaining how things work now (post 9/11)! Gawd-fuckin-damn-it...me and Mr. Lixy were pissed off!!!!!!.



Anyway...(sorry for the rant...but be forewarned if you visit Philly)...here are some pics of what we could take photos of in Philadelphia!

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ian at independence hall.jpg (23.9 KB, 217 views)

__________________
Minds are like parachutes. They only work when they are open.

~Thomas Dewar~

This is as close as we could get because the tour was booked till later that afternoon...

You had to aquire tickets...which are free...but the hall could only hold so many. We opted to see The Liberty Bell instead...and then tour the city for sites with nicer people!

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independence hall.jpg (16.9 KB, 218 views)

__________________
Minds are like parachutes. They only work when they are open.

~Thomas Dewar~

They moved The Liberty Bell for security purposes. I'll admit, in all the trips I've ever made to Philly with my mother in my younger years, I had never seen "the bell". It used to be in the open, as you passed along the streets on ones way to Market St. or somewhere, to go shopping. Now (post 9/11) they have moved it and secured it inside a "tourist building". It is still free to see, but you'll have to go through a security system similar to boarding a plane.

As you meander through the building, you'll see the progression of the bell's history in billboards and in video. We went in during a school day, so the tour was packed and we passed some boards to get to the bell itself before it was too crowed to see.

I made Ian stop here for a photo op! LOL!

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at the bell.jpg (32.2 KB, 214 views)

__________________
Minds are like parachutes. They only work when they are open.

~Thomas Dewar~

The bell gave me chills! I don't know for sure if Ian can appreciate the fact that I, just then, for the first time in my life, stood in it's presence...the history beaming from it...the historical figures that had been before me, touching it, ringing it, speaking of it and it's significance...but I have to tell you all, I was in awe!

Nuff said!

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ian and the liberty bell.jpg (22.1 KB, 202 views)

__________________
Minds are like parachutes. They only work when they are open.

~Thomas Dewar~

Another angle...

(for those who may never get to see it in person)

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the liberty bell 2.jpg (30.1 KB, 211 views)

__________________
Minds are like parachutes. They only work when they are open.

~Thomas Dewar~

The Liberty Bell alone...(no spectators blocking it's view)...

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the liberty bell 3.jpg (19.1 KB, 208 views)

__________________
Minds are like parachutes. They only work when they are open.

~Thomas Dewar~

Then we went for a walk-about (fuck off Ian...I know only the aborginal's do that there...here we do it all the time, in shorter spurts!....roflmfao!...*hugs*)

All around the city of Philadelphia (and let me tell you...these finds are few and far apart) we found something of significance!

Here is Benjamin and his wife, Deborah's, grave! It's in The Christ Church Cemetary.

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benjamin and deborah franklin\'s grave site.jpg (30.2 KB, 215 views)

__________________
Minds are like parachutes. They only work when they are open.

~Thomas Dewar~

Those are all incredible Pics... Grumble is so very lucky... to meet so many of the people who keep all of us coming back... The tourist scenes are just bonus's...

I am so disappointed that Grumble won't be making it out to my neck of the woods... but am soooooo very happy that he has had such a wonderful time thus far... and surely it will only continue to be the case.

Thank you Lixy for posting the pics... hopefully someday I will see that Bell in person....have always wanted to.

And Lixy... please explain the reason for the coins on the grave?

We visited Betsy Ross's house, but NO pictres were allowed to be taken inside. Oops! Forgot to get the outside.....duh! It was a tiny house where Betsy sewed the first flag of the original 13 colonies. So it is said, she had to take this proposition in secret, as she would have been held for treason had it been discovered that she was to take on such a project! She was also an upholsterer in her many jobs, including seamstress. She married 3 x's...so Ian, Mr. Lixy and myself suspect she was a sexed up girl of her day. Oh...BTW! She was only 23 when she stitched the flag!

__________________
Minds are like parachutes. They only work when they are open.

~Thomas Dewar~

TYSVVM jenna! I hope you make it this way some day too! I'll be glad to rip the guards around Independence Hall a new asshole so as to treat you right!

As to the coins on Ben's grave, I'm not sure hun! We speculated that folks just wanted to leave a part of themselves there and thank Mr. Franklin for his contributions to our current comforts. But to be honest, we were clueless of the significance!

__________________
Minds are like parachutes. They only work when they are open.

~Thomas Dewar~